Steam chest construction



' 1945- G. M. MIERLEY STEAM CHEST CONSTRUCTION rl/All/ Filed May 29, 1945 INVENTOR 6mm M Maw WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 9, 1945 i I Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 29, 1943, Serial No. 489,091

4 Claims. (01. 253-39) I This invention relates to elastic fluid turbines, more particularly to turbinesof double-wall construction, and has for an object to provide novel means'for indicating leakage of elastic fluid to the space between the double walls.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for indicating the amount of leakage of motive fluid from a conduit located at an inaccessible and unobservable place.

With steam turbines operatingat high temperatures, it is common practice to admit the steam to the turbine cylinder through a number of inlets spaced circumferentially of the latter. Where a plurality of such inlets are provided, it frequently results that there is not sufficient room for the usual b'olted flanged connections between the inlet conduits and the cylinder. In such cases, the inlet conduits must be welded to the cylinder, with the result that their removal and replacement is 'difilcult, expensive, and to be avoided wherever possible.

With double-wall cylinders, it is necessary to provide a resilent conduit for conducting steam from the inlet connection-at the outer wall to the inlet connection at the inner Wall, communicating with the steam admission chamber in the tension 22 being connected to the outer wall M by welding, as at 23. I

Suitable flexible conduit means, herein shown as bellows 24, provides communication between the steam s upply pipe 2| -and the inlet connection 25 to the chamber 20, and bridges the space 26"between the inner wall l3 and the outer wall extension 22. Preferably, the bellows 24. is permanently secured to the steam supply pipe 2! and the'inlet connection 25, by suitable means,

, such as the weld connections 21 and 28, respecinner wall construction. Such flexible conduits may develope leaks and, because of their inaccessibility, it is important to know when such leaks occur and the extent of such leakage. The

present invention relates to means for providing this information.

These and other objects are efiected by the invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application, in which the single figure is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of a steam means [8 is provided between the rotor and cylinder parts.

The inner wall I3 is provided with the usual steam admission chamber 20 for supplying motive fluid to the first stage I6 of the blading, and a steam supply pipe 2i conducts steam to the extension portion 22 of the outer wall M, the extively.

In order to prevent excessive leakage of steam in the event of failure of the bellows 24, there is provided a seal ring construction 30, isolating the space 26, surrounding the bellows, from the remaining space between the inner and outer walls of the turbine cylinder. Preferably, the sealing ring 30 is movably retained between the surface 3|, formed on the inner wall I3, and an opposed shoulder 32, formed on the inlet connection 25. A second shoulder 33 on the inlet connection is so spaced from the shoulder 32 that, when the inlet connection 25 is secured into place by the screw thread connection 34, the sealing ring 30 will be free to move radially a lim, ited distance to provide for expansion and contraction effects of the inner and outer wall construction. The seal ring 30 is provided, in its outer periphery, with a plurality of annular grooves 36, in each of whichis positioned a split seal ring 31, bearing against the inner surface of the outer wall extension 22 or the corresponding adjacent surface of the outer wall [4. These seal rings-3l will permit of relative movement of the inner and outer wall structures, resulting from expansion and contraction efiects thereof, and, at the same time, will prevent excessive leakage of steam from the space 26, about the bellows 24, to the remaining space between the inner and outer walls at the other side of the seal ring structure, in the event of bellows failure.

In order to indicate the occurrence of any such failure of the bellows, there is provided a pressure differential gauge 40, communicating, through conduits 4| and 42, with the space 26 surrounding the bellows and the remaining space between the inner and outer walls, respectively. It will be apparent that, with no leakage occurring through the bellows, the gauge 46 would indicate an approximate zero reading. Upon occurrence of leakage through the bellows to the space 26 thereabout, the increase of pressure within the space 26, relative to the space at the other side of the sealing ring 33, will be indicated by the gauge 40, and the reading of this gauge will also serve as a measure of the amount of leakage at the bellows, inasmuch as a larger leak would produce a higher reading on the gauge than would a relatively small leak.

It should be noted that, even if complete failure of the bellows 24 should occur, the seal ring construction 30 would prevent excessive leakage of elastic fluid therepast, with the result that operation of the turbine could be continued until it was convenient to shut it down.

While the invention has been shown in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible-of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an elastic fluid turbine; a rotor; a cylinder structure surrounding said rotor and including spaced inner and outer walls; blading carried by the rotor andthe cylinder structure,

said inner wall providing a chamber for admission of elastic fluid to the blading and having an inlet opening therethrough to said chamber, and the outer wall having an inlet openingtherethrough aligned with the opening in the inner wall; means providing a conduit connecting said openings for flow of elastic fluid to the chamber from externally of the outer wall; and meansfor "indicating leakage of elastic fluid from'said conduit to the space between the inner and outer walls, said means comprisingsealing means separating the space about the conduit from the remainder of the space between the inner and outer walls, and a differential pressure device sensitive to pressure differences across said sealing means. I

2'. In an elastic fluid turbine; a rotor; a cylinder structure surrounding said rotor and including spaced inner and outer walls; blading carried by the rotor and the cylinder structure; said inner Wall providing a chamber for supply- "ing elastic fluid to the blading and having an inlet-opening therethrough to said chamber and the outer wall having an inlet opening aligned with the opening in the inner wall; means providing a resilient conduit connecting said openings for flow of elastic fluid to the chamber from externally of the outer wall; means partitioning ofi the space between the inner and outer walls adjacent the resilient conduit from the remaining space; and means for indicating any change in pressure within said partitioned-off space resulting from leakage through said resilient conduit.

.3. Structure as specifiedin claim 2, wherein the means for indicating any change in pressure within the partitioned-off space comprises a differential pressure device in communication with oppositesides of the partitioning means.

4. Str,ucture as specified in claim 2; wherein the means for indicating any change in pressure within the partitioned-off space comprises a differential pressure device communicating with oppositesides ofthe partitioning means and providing .a reading which is a measure of the amount of the leakage.

GEORGE M. MIERLEY. 

